How To: Stain Furniture With Prooftint

Stains are ideal to change the colour of timber without hiding the characteristics of your furniture. Try using a dark walnut stain to completely change the look of the table and the feel of the room, or a lighter shade to highlight the bring the old colour or patina back to life.

STEP 1

Preparation

Before you start:

Skirting boards do not need to be removed if sufficient care is taken while sanding, staining and finishing the floors. For best results use painter’s tape along the bottom of the skirting boards to protect the boards from accidental stain marks.

Remove all furniture and pictures from the walls.

Remove or completely wrap curtains and blinds in plastic to prevent damage from the fine sanding dust.

Cover heating vents, power points and ducts with duct tape and heavy plastic.

Cover doorways to rooms that are not going to be sanded with plastic dust barriers or heavy drop sheets and duct tape to prevent the sanding dust from entering these rooms.

Punch exposed nails in the floors with a nail punch and hammer and clean all sticky coatings from the floor surface.

Open windows for ventilation.

Timber Preparation

NEW TIMBER:

Hardwood: Sand to a smooth surface, fill all nail holes with a suitable Puttyafter the first sand, and remove all sanding dust before coating

Softwood: Always prime soft porous timbers, such as Pine, Baltic Pine, Meranti and Cedar, prior to applying a stain to ensure that it absorbs evenly into the timber. Apply Feast Watson Timber Primer as per label instructions.

Note: Using Timber Primer prior to application of Prooftint will result in a lighter final colour than Prooftint applied direct to raw. If a very dark shade is required do NOT seal with Timber Primer

PREVIOUSLY COATED TIMBER:

Sand timber to bare timber and remove all sanding dust before coating

If the surface has been previously coated, sand back to bear, fill all nail holes with a suitable Interior Putty after the first sand, and remove all sanding dust before coating.

all timber:

To ensure colour satisfaction, always test colour on a timber off-cut or inconspicuous area prior to staining the whole job.

Prooftint colours can be mixed together to create your own custom shades or to achieve an exact colour match for your timber

STEP 2

Application

Option 1: Apply Prooftint Neat

Why apply neat?

Use Prooftint undiluted to achieve deep, rich colour.

APPLICATION Technique

Apply Prooftint direct to the surface with a brush or rag in the direction of the grain

Leave the stain to penetrate for 2–5 minutes. (Note: The longer the stain is left on the stronger the colour will be)

Wipe off excess with a clean cloth

Allow to dry for 30 minutes, then if required apply a second coat to build colour intensity (as per the instructions above)

Option 2: Mix Prooftint with Prooftint Colour Reducer

Why use Prooftint Colour Reducer?

Feast Watson Prooftint Colour Reducer is a specially formulated dilution base for Feast Watson Prooftint. Using Prooftint Colour Reducer enables the creation of lighter, more subtle timber shades. When staining large areas such as floors, Prooftint Colour Reducer helps to distribute the stain, allowing more time for it to be spread, resulting in a consistent, even finish.

APPLICATION Technique

Dilute Prooftint into Prooftint Colour Reducer to the desired rate (Prooftint can be added to Prooftint Colour Reducer at any mixing ratio. Darker colours can be obtained with additional coats or by adding more Prooftint to the mix. For lighter shades, dilute further with Colour Reducer).

Apply Prooftint and Colour Reducer mix direct to the surface with a brush or rag in the direction of the grain

Leave the stain to penetrate for 2–5 minutes (Note: The longer the stain is left on the stronger the colour will be)

Wipe off excess with a clean cloth

Allow to dry for 12 hours, then if required apply a second coat to build colour intensity (as per the instructions above)

Care and Maintenance

Clean furniture using Feast Watson Floorclean. This is non smear concentrated detergent which is designed to clean all surfaces and rinse clean with minimal effort. Do NOT use normal household cleaners as they may contain a mild abrasive.

Clean the surface using a moist rag, taking care NOT to use too much water